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Shenu, the dog, looks slightly happier with the arrangement than his bride (Picture: Barcroft)

A girl has married a dog to please her family who think in doing so she will rid herself of a curse they believe she carries.

In the barking mad ceremony, 18-year-old Mangli Munda had to walk down the aisle with a stray dog her father found, as her fellow villagers in Jharkhand state, India say this will pass the curse from her to the animal.

She said: ‘I am not happy with this marriage.’

Her ‘husband’, a dog called Sheru, even arrived in his own chauffeur driven car, although he may not have been entirely aware what was happening.

Shenu, a stray dog, was adorned in the same way Hindu grooms usually are (Picture: Barcroft)

The ceremony is part of a ritual in the village in which young women are married to dogs first, and then when they marry a man (as in, a human man) the marriage will be blessed with longevity.

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Mangli’s mother said: ‘We have to spend money on this wedding.

‘That is the only way we can get rid of her bad luck and ensure the benevolence of the village.’

The whole village took part in the ceremony (Picture: Barcroft)

The excitement clearly got to Shenu, who took a quick nap during the ceremony (Picture: Barcroft)

Everything was carried out in proper form for a formal Hindu wedding, with Shenu sitting patiently at the side of his new bride throughout, although it was not legally binding, allowing Mangli to now find a suitable partner.

Mangli Munda hopes that with the curse lifted from her, she will be able to find a suitable human husband (Picture: Barcroft)

She said: ‘Yes, I will marry a man one day. Every girl dreams of marrying a prince.’